Italian confectioner Ferrero has made a surprise move for UK chocolate maker and retailer Thorntons. One cannot ignore the fact Thorntons has had some challenges, not least in recent quarters with sales to UK multiples under pressure. What could be behind Ferrero's decision? Hannah Abdulla explores.

Mars Inc plans to step up investment in the Indian chocolate sector by investing in local production. The Indian chocolate market is dominated by Mondelez International-owned Cadbury, with Nestle becoming a somewhat distant second. With strong growth in demand and a growing tendency for consumers to trade up to higher-margin products, could Mars' push in India challenge the established players in the market?

Ferrero Group is purportedly re-thinking its investment plan in India due to difficulties with regulators in the country. The Indian market - with its massive population and still growing middle class - is a huge opportunity for FMCG manufacturers. But, as the Ferrero case shows, Indian regulations continue to discourage investment in local production - to the detriment of the country's economic outlook.

Working with Kantar Worldpanel, just-food provides a data set showing the ten most-chosen food brands in the BRICs in 2013. Ferrero's Kinder and Mondelez International's Alpen Gold were new entrants into the list.

Latest Interviews

UK confectioner Thorntons is undergoing something of a transformation. The chocolate and toffee producer, which has been hit hard by the consumer downturn, is midway through a strategic shift to close the bulk of its store network and focus on commercial sales. Since taking the helm in May 2011, Jonathan Hart has had a mountain to climb: rebalancing the portfolio while tackling weak consumer demand. Nonetheless, the chief executive tells Michelle Russell that the firm is now on the right road for its strategy re-think to deliver improved results.

Ferrero, the Italy-based confectionery giant, first entered the UK back in 1966 and has steadily built a business generating GBP200m sales a year. However, under local managing director Christian Walter, the group is planning an offensive on this side of the English Channel. For this month's just-food interview, Dean Best met Walter to discuss Ferrero's plans.

Latest News

The sale of Belgian biscuits maker Delacre to the private investment vehicle of Giovanni Ferrero, the head of the Italy-based Ferrero confectionery group, has been completed, it was announced today (5 December).

Food companies that fall short of commitments to supporting certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) production should be "called to account by their competitors and customers", the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) has said in a new report.

Italy-based confectioner Ferrero has confirmed it has made a formal bid to acquire Belgian biscuits maker Delacre, which is part of Pladis, the newly-formed biscuits and chocolate subsidiary of Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding.

Italian confectionery company Ferrero has reassured consumers of the safety of its products following the discovery in Germany of mineral oils in the packaging of chocolate products from Ferrero and other chocolate companies.

Greenpeace has insisted there is "a considerable amount of work to be done" before consumer goods companies can say no deforestation takes place in their supply chains in a report critical of FMCG giants including PepsiCo.

This week, members of The Consumer Goods Forum committed to halving food waste by 2025. Elsewhere, Ferrero made a bid to acquire UK confectioner Thorntons. Nestle appointed a new CFO to replace Wan Ling Martello and First Milk chairman, Sir Jim Paice, resigned. Here is the week in quotes.

This week has been bumper for food sector M&A. Ferrero announced that it is gobbling up UK chocolate maker Thorntons. JBS is taking control of Moy Park from heavily indebted Brazilian meat group Marfrig. Grupo Bimbo also announced it has purchased parts of Spanish baker Panrico. Meanwhile, in the world of retail, Delhaize and Ahold revealed plans to combine. Here is just-food's top news and insight coverage from this week.

China continues to be an issue for Hershey, which today (19 June) cut its forecast for 2015 sales for the second time this year thanks to challenges in the market. Meanwhile, around 300 jobs are to go at the US confectionery giant as it tries to react quicker to changing market trends. Nestle, which has had its own issues in China, this week also indicated growth in parts of Africa had not been as rapid as it had hoped.

Latest blogs

Since Ferrero announced the death of company founder Michele Ferrero at the weekend, there has been fresh speculation over the future of the Kinder and Nutella maker. Today (18 February), the Italy-based giant looked to quash the rumours.